Whether cutting edge technology in supercities, or villages with thousands of years of history, China’s got it all! How much does it cost to travel to China, though? This post has the answers to your questions!
Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. If you buy/book something through one of these links, I will receive a commission, at no extra cost to you!
Disclaimer #2: This post is a reference and a starting guide for your travel research. I’m writing this post in mid-2023, and the numbers and facts in this post are subject to change. This post is just a starting point to give you ideas about potential costs of traveling to China, and not a definitive guide on prices and rates!
Having traveled to China 8 times before moving here, I’ve got a pretty solid grip on the process! However, post-pandemic, things have changed quite a bit (mostly the flight costs). Let’s start with a list of expected costs:
How Much Does It Cost To Travel TO China: List of Costs
- Tourist Visa: according to the website of the Chinese Embassy in the US, it’s $185 as of 2023.
- Flights: Anywhere from $1,500 — $3,000 USD, depending on which route, transfers, etc.
- Hotels: Between $20 — $250/day USD, depending on how luxurious you go.
- Food: $10/day if you eat cheap, up to $100/day if you go all-out and also drink.
- Travel Insurance: $50 — a few hundred USD, depending on MANY factors like age, duration of trip, etc.
Other factors that will add expenses to your trip:
- How many cities you play to visit (more cities = additional expenses)
- How long you plan to stay in China for (more time = more money)
- What kind of traveller you are (Hostel-hopper? Luxury hotel lover?)
How Much Does it Cost For a Tourists Visa To Travel To China
All of the information about tourist visas can be found on your country’s Chinese Embassy’s website! (Just search: “(your country name) Chinese embassy” and look for official government websites).
These websites will provide specific information on the process and pricing. Personally, when I just checked for the Chinese embassy in NYC, the fee for a tourist visa to China was $185 USD (from their website in June 2023).
Flights to China: What to Know Post-Pandemic
Okay, so during pandemic years, not only was tourism to China stopped completely, but flights were a MESS. Most international flight routes were cancelled, and many are still not reestablished as of 2023.
Pre-pandemic, summer flights could be anywhere from $700-$1750 USD. During the pandemic, air tickets rose to around $10,000 USD or more round-trip in some cases.
Now, post-pandemic, things have settled, but not to where they were before. In 2023, flights from the US to China could cost around $1500–2,000 USD at best, and that is for a route with transfers.
I really hope the prices will continue to come down to pre-pandemic norms. If you want to check ticket prices from the US to China, you can easily check rates on trip.com’s website!
Hotels in China
So as with most things in China, your taste determines your budget! Where I live in Beijing, a standard, no-frills hotel which is clean and comfy will cost between $20-50 USD a night.
But, if you want to go for the high-end luxury stuff, you can easily pay up to $200-300 USD per night. In bigger cities, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and so on, you’ll find this kind of situation.
In smaller cities, however, the prices tend to be lower. For an AMAZING hotel in Chengdu with a massive breakfast buffet, we payed $50 per night for the room + 2 breakfasts.
What kind of trip are you going for? If you’re pinching pennies, you’ll find a good hotel option without a doubt. And if you’re going “all-in” with your budget, you won’t be disappointed by China’s higher end hotels!
My Preferred Hotel Booking App PReference:
I usually book through trip.com for all of my hotels here in China. Actually, as I’m writing this, I’m just one day past of having a major issue with a hotel we’d booked via Trip for my friend’s bachelorette party in Beijing.
I called Trip’s customer service and explained the situation, and they (as always) were so patient and helpful and helped me solve the problem super quickly.
And yes, I know I’m writing this as an affiliate…but before starting this blog, I had already used Trip for years just as a tourist, and have always been so impressed with them.
Food in China: How Much To Budget
As with hotel costs in China, how much you spend on food largely depends on your preferences!
I personally LOVE China’s hole-in-the-wall restaurants, which are very un-fancy and no-frills. But gosh, do they make some amazing dishes, and most for between $2-5 USD!
However, there are tons of culinary experiences to be had in China! (I wrote about some dishes to try in this post about Chengdu, as well as this one about Enshi and this one about Sanya).
For the more experience-focused restaurants, where you’ll get exceptional service and more refined and photo-worthy dishes, you can expect to pay starting from about $50 for the meal in total.
Of course, if you want to go REALLY crazy and get the best of the best, you can end up spending several hundreds of USD on a dinner. But again, that’s just down to preference.
Travel Insurance
The last factor in our answer to how much it costs to travel to China is travel insurance. Honestly, I’ve never needed it, but I’ve never traveled without it. Fortune favors the prepared, I hope?
For my upcoming trips this summer, I’ve actually found my travel insurance through Visitors Coverage. It’s basically a service that helps you find an insurance policy which fits your specific travel plans.
As I’m not an insurance person, I can’t tell you how much travel insurance will cost! It depends on many factors, such as your age, your travel plans, pre-existing health issues, and more.
To check the rates for travel insurance based on your plans and other factors, you can use this link to see what Visitors Coverage recommends for you!
In short, to answer how much does it cost to travel to China: flights and visas aside, it really depends on you! Your travel taste will largely determine what you spend. Still have questions? Drop ’em in the comments!
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